new bulletin board

Okay, after looking at the bulletin board on my new desk for a couple days it was starting to bug me. So I changed it. What do you think? I like it so much better. :o)

my "all purpose" desk

About a month ago I found a desk on Craigslist that I knew would be perfect for my scrapbooking/cardmaking/sewing/crafting needs, it just needed a little work. :o) I wanted to add a back to it so I could have my most-used supplies at hand without taking up valuable surface space.

I finally found the time to finish it! I'm so excited to start using it. I'm still in the process of organizing all of my supplies and figuring out what goes into which drawers. But I don't mind. It's just nice to have an area of my own where I don't have to stress about taking up valuable family space. I guess I really have no excuse for not scrapbooking now!

another project and the spaceship dentist

I've been looking for a chair for awhile now to replace the glider rocker that we never used. (Don't get me wrong--I loved the rocker when I was pregnant but I don't think anyone has used it since.) I have been searching craigslist for something inexpensive that I could possibly reupholster. Since I had never attempted upholstery before I didn't want to get something too mind blowing for my first try.

Anyway, I finally found a pretty basic chair. I liked the simple design of it and loved how the arms of the chair mimicked the curves on the arms of our new sofa. So I spent a whopping $10 on one butt-ugly brown chair! I know--you're thinking, "Why would anyone buy something so repulsive??" Believe me, the picture does not do it justice. It was pretty gross.

Then I went to JoAnne's and found another bargain--khaki colored cotton twill fabric for $0.75 a yard!! Honestly, can you get a better deal than that? I bought what they had left which cost me about $2.00.

Finally it was time to disassemble and try and figure out how the heck this chair was upholstered in the first place. After pulling out a gazillion (okay I'm exaggerating--probably only a bazillion) staples I was finally able to start taking the pieces apart.

Next was (for me) the fun part--sanding and painting. Okay, well maybe not the sanding part. But I love painting! It's like vacuuming--instant gratification. Okay, you all probably think I'm a weirdo. Anyway, I liked this part because the chair really started to transform. Oh, and Isaac was helping as usual. :o) I don't know why he was showing off his gut.

After the paint dried, it was the part I dreaded. I was worried that after all my efforts my inexperience in upholstery was going to make the chair look really crappy. But I took it one piece at a time and I think it turned out pretty good! :o) I used some leftover material that I had used to make throw pillows for the sofas to make a new pillow for my chair. I'm really pleased with the results on both the chair and the pillow. And all I spent was $12 for the chair and about $3 for the pillow! I love bargains.

In other news--

Shailey and Eli went to the dentist today to get their teeth cleaned. There is a really cool dentist office here for kids with an entire "spaceship theme". They do everything that they can to make going to the dentist fun. You can check them out here.

Shailey and Eli both got new toothbrushes, floss, toothpaste, a plastic tumbler and a timer so they can be sure that they are brushing long enough. And the best part (for me) was no cavities! I wish they had such a cool dentist when I was a kid. Maybe I wouldn't dislike going to the dentist so much.

And one last thing--we finally got a new dining room table set! Our old set was getting too small as it could only seat four people and in case nobody noticed we are a family of five. :o) Anyway, we got it for a great deal. I was a little worried about the fabric on the seats. I mean, really? Cream colored fabric and three kids? Really? So we tried to remedy that potential problem with a whole can of Scotch Guard. For any other moms out there with messy eaters (honestly what mom doesn't have a messy eater?) who isn't sold on Scotch Guard yet--you have to buy this stuff!! We spent about $5 or $6 on a can and already I have been able to clean up spaghetti, pizza sauce and chocolate with ease. Well worth the money! Anyway, here's our new table.

my little project

I think one of my new favorite stores is Goodwill. I found this old table that used to house an old sewing machine for $14.99. You know the kind that I mean? You open it up and the sewing machine pops up. Anyway, the sewing machine was long gone and the hole that had the sewing machine in it was boarded up and had ugly green felt on top of it. It was weird. So I busted out the felt covered board, sanded it down, cut the hole on the top bigger, built a bottom to the hole to make it like a box, painted it black and added a handle. I'm going to use it as my own scrapbooking/cardmaking and sewing table. Anyway, so here are some 'before' and 'after' pictures. :o)

BEFORE

AFTER

It will be nice to have my own space to do my hobbies and not have to worry about taking up what little dining room table space we have. And then I'll just be able to store what ever I am currently working on in the table and get it out later. I'm excited to start using it!